Public hearing scheduled for Jan. 7
By Jason Emerson
Five years after discussing the issue once before, the Cazenovia Village Board of Trustees has been asked to address a request to allow advertising signage on baseball field fences in the village. Instead of the Burton Street fields, however, this request is for the American Legion Vet’s Field on Chenango Street — a field that is privately owned but exists in a residential neighborhood where the current village prohibition on such signs applies.
Legion Vice Commander Gene Gissin made the request on behalf of the Empire State Collegiate Baseball League, which announced in October that it will play its 2019 inaugural season at the newly refurbished American Legion Post 88 Field.
“They want to have the ability to raise money by putting signs up,” Gissin told the board at its Dec. 3 regular monthly meeting. “It’s a revenue source … This allows us to raise money, the teams to raise money, and it all goes back into the field.”
Mayor Kurt Wheeler said the village board was happy to discuss the request, and said that he has heard some concern from neighbors about signs on the outfield fence, so the decision that night was to “take the temperature first and see if there is a level of public interest in this; if so, we will hold a public hearing.”
Under village code, advertising signs are not permitted in a residential district.
Gissin said the proposal is to allow temporary signs — vinyl banners, not metal — on the outfield fence of Vet’s Field only during field usage. The advertising signs would be put up during collegiate league games and Cazenovia College baseball games, and then removed from the fence when the games are over. If there are double-headers or games on consecutive days, the signs may stay up overnight, but will be taken down immediately at the conclusion of the final game.
In his pitch for village approval, Gissin said “the beauty of this” proposal is that the two collegiate leagues will bring in people from across the state to watch the games, and local businesses can reap the benefits of so many eyes at a game. Those visitors to Cazenovia also will need food and lodging, and will most likely engage in local shopping and activities, he said.
“I hope this will be good economically for the whole community … so everybody is going to gain,” Gissin said.
Village resident Cindy Bell Tobey, who lives across the street from the field, said she had concerns about sign sizes and construction materials. She said most residents do not realize this request has been made and she feels more people will want more information about it. She urged the board to hold a public hearing.
Trustee Amy Mann said she agreed with Tobey and neighbors deserve a chance to be informed and offer comment.
Wheeler suggested some mock signs be posted on the fence and photographed for display at a public hearing so everyone interested could see how the signs would look.
The board scheduled a public hearing to “consider a potential change to local law to permit signs of this nature” for 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, in the village office. The regular monthly village board meeting will begin immediately after.
